Abstract
Background Seed priming with natural compounds has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. Among these, essential oils may mitigate the adverse effects of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and salinity on seed germination and early growth. This study aimed to investigate the priming effects of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. essential oil on germination and seedling development of 3 Mediterranean aromatic species: Achillea millefolium L., Ocimum basilicum L., and Thymus vulgaris L. Methods Priming treatments were performed using different essential oil concentration (0.1%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.8%) with H 2 O and polysorbate P80 controls. Seed were grown on two heavy metal-polluted soils collected from abandoned mining sites (Montevecchio, HM1; Su Suergiu, HM2; Sardinia, Italy), a saline soil from Arborea in Sardinia (Sal) and an unpolluted sandy control soil. HM1 and HM2 soils were contaminated with arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), antimony (Sb) and zinc (Zn). Results Soil type, plant species, and priming conditions significantly affected germination rate, seedling vigor index, and fresh weight. Notably, 0.2% essential oil priming did not markedly enhance germination compared to controls, except for A. millefolium grown on the contaminated HM1 soil and T. vulgaris on control soil. Both A. millefolium and T. vulgaris showed significant higher soil tolerance indices in contaminated soils under 0.2% priming, while T. vulgaris also exhibited further improvement under 0.2–0.8% priming in control soil. Moreover, in Sal soil, germination and seedling development were generally inhibited across all species; however, L. angustifolia essential oil at 0.2% occasionally alleviated these negative effects. Conclusions Low-dose Lavandula angustifolia essential oil priming can improve germination and stress tolerance in certain aromatic species, representing a sustainable approach for the valorization of marginal and degraded lands.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Soil type, plant species and priming affected germination, vigor and fresh weight.
- Taxon
- Achillea millefolium L., Ocimum basilicum L., and Thymus vulgaris L.
Achillea millefolium
Ocimum basilicum.JPG?width=60)
Thymus vulgarise1 - Outcome
- germination rate, seedling vigor index, and fresh weighte0
- Setting
- Soil typee0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.JPG?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“Soil type, plant species, and priming conditions significantly affected germination rate, seedling vigor index, and fresh weight”
e1“Achillea millefolium L., Ocimum basilicum L., and Thymus vulgaris L.”
Claim · model-written summary
At 0.2%, priming did not markedly improve germination versus controls generally.
- Taxon
- Achillea millefolium L., Ocimum basilicum L., and Thymus vulgaris L.Achillea millefoliumOcimum basilicumThymus vulgarise1
- Treatment
- 0.2% essential oil priminge0
- Outcome
- germinatione0
- Direction
- did not markedly enhancee0
- Comparator
- controlse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“0.2% essential oil priming did not markedly enhance germination compared to controls”
e1“Achillea millefolium L., Ocimum basilicum L., and Thymus vulgaris L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Achillea on HM1 soil was an exception to weak germination response.
- Taxon
- A. millefoliumAchillea millefoliume0
- Treatment
- 0.2% essential oil priminge1
- Outcome
- germinatione1
- Comparator
- controlse1
- Setting
- contaminated HM1 soile0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“except for A. millefolium grown on the contaminated HM1 soil”
e1“0.2% essential oil priming did not markedly enhance germination compared to controls”
Claim · model-written summary
Thymus on control soil was an exception to weak germination response.
- Taxon
- T. vulgarisThymus vulgarise0
- Treatment
- 0.2% essential oil priminge1
- Outcome
- germinatione1
- Comparator
- controlse1
- Setting
- control soile0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“T. vulgaris on control soil”
e1“0.2% essential oil priming did not markedly enhance germination compared to controls”
Claim · model-written summary
Achillea tolerance index increased under 0.2% priming in contaminated soil.
- Taxon
- A. millefoliumAchillea millefoliume0
- Treatment
- 0.2% priminge0
- Outcome
- soil tolerance indicese0
- Direction
- highere0
- Setting
- contaminated soilse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Both A. millefolium and T. vulgaris showed significant higher soil tolerance indices in contaminated soils under 0.2% priming”
Claim · model-written summary
Thymus tolerance index increased under 0.2% priming in contaminated soil.
- Taxon
- T. vulgarisThymus vulgarise0
- Treatment
- 0.2% priminge0
- Outcome
- soil tolerance indicese0
- Direction
- highere0
- Setting
- contaminated soilse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Both A. millefolium and T. vulgaris showed significant higher soil tolerance indices in contaminated soils under 0.2% priming”
Claim · model-written summary
Thymus also improved under 0.2–0.8% priming in control soil.
- Taxon
- T. vulgarisThymus vulgarise0
- Treatment
- 0.2–0.8% priminge0
- Outcome
- further improvemente0
- Direction
- improvemente0
- Setting
- control soile0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“T. vulgaris also exhibited further improvement under 0.2–0.8% priming in control soil”
Claim · model-written summary
Saline soil generally inhibited germination and seedling development across species.
- Taxon
- Achillea millefolium L., Ocimum basilicum L., and Thymus vulgaris L.Achillea millefoliumOcimum basilicumThymus vulgarise1
- Outcome
- germination and seedling developmente0
- Direction
- inhibitede0
- Setting
- Sal soile0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in Sal soil, germination and seedling development were generally inhibited across all species”
e1“Achillea millefolium L., Ocimum basilicum L., and Thymus vulgaris L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Lavender oil at 0.2% occasionally alleviated saline soil effects.
- Taxon
- Achillea millefolium L., Ocimum basilicum L., and Thymus vulgaris L.Achillea millefoliumOcimum basilicumThymus vulgarise1
- Treatment
- L. angustifolia essential oil at 0.2%e0
- Outcome
- negative effectse0
- Direction
- alleviatede0
- Setting
- Sal soile2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“L. angustifolia essential oil at 0.2% occasionally alleviated these negative effects”
e1“Achillea millefolium L., Ocimum basilicum L., and Thymus vulgaris L.”
e2“in Sal soil, germination and seedling development were generally inhibited across all species”
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Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.